Friday, September 2, 2011

Like the Beginning, the Ending of God's Word has been spiritualized into meaning anything except what it says.

The viewpoint of End Times that prevails in the Church today — both Catholic and Protestant — is Amillennialism, the belief that there will never be a millennial reign of Jesus on this earth.

This view is based on a spiritualization of Scripture.

The Biblical View

The Bible says point blank Jesus will return to this earth to reign for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4). It further states that Satan will be bound during that time (Revelation 20:1-3), and that the earth will be flooded with peace, righteousness and justice as the waters cover the seas (Isaiah 9:6-7 & Isaiah 11:9).

The Bible also teaches that at the end of that reign, this earth will be consumed with fire and out of that fiery inferno will come a new earth that will serve as the eternal home of the Redeemed (2 Peter 3:12-13 and Revelation 21:1). It also teaches that God will come down to earth and that the Redeemed will live in glorified bodies in His presence forever (Revelation 21:2-4).

The Amillennial View

The Amillennial viewpoint spiritualizes all of this.

It argues that the Millennium began at the Cross with the binding of Satan and that the Millennium continues to this day with Jesus reigning from Heaven through His Church. In other words, the Church Age is the Millennium. There is no Rapture in this viewpoint, nor is there any Great Tribulation.

Most Amillennialists would further argue that when Jesus returns, He will simply appear and then take all believers, both living and dead, back to Heaven with Him to live eternally in an ethereal spirit world.

The problems with this view are overwhelming.

1) If we are in the Millennium now, why isn't the world flooded with peace, righteousness and justice?

2) If Jesus is reigning now, why is He doing such a poor job? After all, every nation in the world is in rebellion against Him. And if He is reigning now as King of kings, then why does the Bible portray Him instead as our High Priest before God's throne? (Hebrews 3:1 and Hebrews 4:14-16).

The Bible says Jesus came the first time as our Savior. He currently serves as our High Priest. He will return as our King of kings.

3) If Satan is bound now, then why does evil abound in the world, and why do Scriptures written long after the Cross portray him as continuing to be the ruler of this world?

Furthermore, the Bible says Satan is going to be bound in a special way during the Millennium. He will be restrained so that he can no longer deceive the nations of the world. Yet, everywhere we look today, we see nations deceived.

4) What would God have to do to convince us that Jesus is returning to reign for a thousand years?

Repeatedly throughout the Old Testament we are told that the Messiah will reign over all the world from Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 7:13-14, 18, 27; and Micah 4:1-7). And in chapter 20 of the book of Revelation we are told six times that His reign will last 1,000 years.

5) Finally, how do you explain eternity in an ethereal world as a spirit being when the Bible says we will live forever in glorified bodies on a new earth? (Revelation 21:1-7).

Interpretation

It all comes down to a matter of interpretation.

As with the interpretation of the beginning of the Bible, the interpretation of the ending depends upon whether you are going to accept the plain sense meaning of the text or whether you are going to insist on spiritualizing the text to mean what you want it to mean.

I believe the fundamental rule for the interpretation of all the Bible, from beginning to end should be what I call the Golden Rule of Interpretation:

If the plain sense makes sense, don't look for any other sense, lest you end up with nonsense.

Furthermore, when it comes to the interpretation of prophecy, there is a fundamental fact that must be kept in mind — namely, all First Coming prophecies were literally fulfilled in their plain sense meaning. Why, then, would the Second Coming prophecies be any different?

Conclusion

The bottom line is that we need to stop playing games with God's Word. We need to accept it for what it says — and stop trying to make excuses for it.

Hundreds of times, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the claim is made that the writers of the Bible are speaking the Word of God (1 Samuel 9:27 and Hebrews 4:12). If so, then what they wrote must be without error, for God cannot lie, nor can He make mistakes.

I therefore challenge you to accept the Bible for what it claims to be — the Word of God — and I challenge you to believe it for what it says.

And I want to conclude by emphasizing that my challenge to you to accept the Bible for what it claims to be, and to believe it for what it says, is a challenge that comes directly from Jesus Christ Himself. Here is what He is recorded as saying in John 5:46-47:

"...if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

Moses was the one who wrote the book of Genesis. We need to believe what he wrote.

Your Christian faith will have full meaning only when you believe that the universe and the life it contains was supernaturally created by God for a purpose.

And you will never experience the fullness of Christian hope until you start believing the promises of God's Prophetic Word.

The Beginning and the Ending —

May God forgive us for ignoring them.

May God forgive us for abusing them.

May God forgive us for playing games with them.

May we commit ourselves to their revival in the teaching and preaching programs of our churches.

God was there at the beginning. He will be there at the end. He holds the whole universe in His hands. Let us find peace in the knowledge that He is sovereign.

"My message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." (The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

Excellent points! Why does man insist on spiritualization? Especially when God created a physical world, physical man, a physical Savior/God with physical miracles and a physical Bible with physical Dead Sea scrolls. It seems all this evidence would point to the actual events in Revelation to be what they say to be. Is it another apostasy? I think we must all physically pray for the physical Holy Spirit to speak to them before it is too late. God Bless!

Yes indeed; the 70th Week of ‘trial’ is coming upon the whole world’s ‘residents ‘katoikeō epi gē’; or in English these are ‘earthdwellers’ e.g. Rev 3:10

However, the assembly of the Body/Bride of Christ, who is her Head, are NOT residents of earth; rather they are citizens of heaven NOW.

Eph2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…”

Jesus Christ is NOW seated in heaven at the right hand of God The Father.

Eph1:20”…which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places...”

Positionaly and Judicialy the assembly of Christ’s Body/Bride is ALREADY in heaven Sealed INTO Christ by The Holy Spirit; even as Christ is IN The Father, she is merely awaiting the resurrection of the flesh.

Eph2:5,6 “…even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places IN Christ Jesus…”

In the September edition, Dr Cameron has continued his denouncement of the Postie nonsense - and LO! And BEHOLD! Who does he mention by name and folly, but U.K. Postie BOB MITCHELL of ‘Shofar’; who has done a few ‘hit and runs’ here on L&L.

Among other things, Dr.C accused him of setting up an ‘Aunt Sally’ and taking ‘potshots’ at it with ‘panache’ – all stuff I had already told him on his blog which is extremely satisfying from my point of view.

Thankfully I no longer feel the burden to help him see sense now those with authority are on his case. Yet I fear he is too stubborn to ever admit he has been wrong all these years, which is such a shame as I know he will bitterly regret this Postie error.

About 4 yrs ago I came across lot of ex-pretribbers who read Rosenthal’s book and jumped ship. I didn’t know much about the system then so I asked a lot of questions and read up as much as I could on it. Judging from some of the responses, a lot of these ex pre-tribs didn’t know that much about pre-wrath either. I’m convinced some of them didn’t really know why they were pre-trib in the first place and were easily led away.

I’d hazard a guess that Bob’s in the same category because his anti pre-trib arguments are full of holes and he doesn’t recognize the failings of his postie system. But it’s too late - he’s been infected ;-)

“In his web-site, POST - Millennialist Bob Mitchell writes: ‘It is a mystery to me that many will use Matthew 24 and say it is for the Jews, then read the same Olivet Discourse and say ‘look up for your redemption draws nigh’ is not for the Jews but for all believers and a pre-tribulation rapture. This is the same Olivet Discourse which folks say is for the Jews in Matthew and (for) Christians in Luke’.

That is at very best a half truth; he forgets the basic principle that a passage of Scripture may be FOR us but not ABOUT us. Of course it is a mystery to him because apparently he has not read the context of that Luke21:28 quote, which is ‘When these things BEGIN to happen look up…’ He has shot himself in the foot. Jesus did not say ‘when these things are about to END’, which would be a Post-Trib scenario! The signs of the time begin BEFORE the Rapture; we see them multiplying already. Unlike Post-Tribs we can look up for Him today and not have to say that our blessed hope is at least seven plus years ahead. Those in the Great Tribulation will know that Jesus cannot appear to them until the Battle of Armageddon has started.

Because Bob only HALF comprehends and therefore unwittingly distorts the Pre-Trib position on the Olivet Discourse. He sets up for himself an Aunt Sally and takes pot shots at it with great panache. He mixes truth with error. Bob was until recently happy to share our Pre-Trib platform, but has recently comprehensively attacked Pre-Tribulationism on the Web and encourages people to buy his Post-Trib material”. End.

On his blog, Bob is striving to accuse Dr. Cameron of anything he can to explain away his own non-existent exegesis. Bob quote “At one point Dr Cameron comes close to calling me a liar….he simply uses the phrase “That is at very best a half truth”

Hmmm nice from a brother in the Lord. …” end quote

As usual Bob sees it as a personal ‘attack’ against him when anyone points out the flaw in his reasoning. No! Dr.Cameron is presenting a fact that Bob has only HALF understood the Olivet Discourse and built his Aunt Sally (straw man) on that failing. Even his objection is built on a flawed reading of Dr C’s statement. Bob wonders why Dr. Cameron didn’t ask him his views before writing his article. As Bob is extremely PUBLIC with his views, in particular on You Tube; Bob has made his position abundantly clear and his mockery and embittered disdain of the Pre-Trib position is nigh legendary, while enforcing the word ‘love’ a great deal. Effectively Bob has bitten the hand that ‘fed’ him his opportunity to speak; naturally ‘the hand’ has now been hastily withdrawn.

Dr. Cameron’s second ‘lie’ or ‘offence’ against Bob is naming him as a POST-Millenniumist. Bob claims to be PRE-Mill because he doesn’t teach replacement theology. Probably this was just a ‘typo’; nothing to be indignant about; however Bob doesn’t fit comfortably into Pre-Mil in any event because he sees Israel and the Church as one entity, recognising no distinction. So IF Dr.C thought of Bob as a PostMill; it wouldn’t surprise me because Bob has his own unique view of eschatology that doesn’t ‘fit’ the usual options. Bob could well come under a new variety, a bit of everything, to cover all the bases. That would make Bob a PAP-Mill. Imo.

The fact that Bob was not permitted to teach his Postie view on a Pre-Trib platform, did not prevent him from advertising himself to his audience via his Web site, and now includes You Tube, and his own TV Programme that he buys from Revelation TV (UK) Understandably, the audience afforded Bob by Pre-Trib, by the use of their Platform, are in the precarious position of becoming very confused by Bob’s contradictory error. PWMI have now exacted their responsibility to distance themselves from Bob’s fault and finally reclaimed their integrity.

A weekend of religious-themed observances at Washington National Cathedral marking the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks will include a Buddhist nun and an Imam, but not an evangelical Christian, leading the head of the Southern Baptist Convention to ask President Obama to reconsider attending the event.

“A Call to Compassion” will include an interfaith prayer vigil on Sept. 11. It will feature the dean of the Cathedral, the Bishop of Washington, a rabbi, Buddhist nun and incarnate lama, a Hindu priest, the president of the Islamic Society of North America and a Muslim musician.

However, Southern Baptists, representing the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, were not invited to participate – and neither were leaders from any evangelical Christian organization.

Excellent point, Sue! We don't need their ceremonies, or to participate in their shared delusion that Islam had nothing to do with 9/11.

The Texas fires are a few counties West of us, but have burned many acres. There just hasn't been rain in months, meanwhile the East Coast is flooded out. Our local lake is nothing but a grassy plain now, and I'm wondering how soon till we run out of water. Hopefully the fall weather shift will bring some rain. Thanks for the concern!

We can but pray The Lord will be merciful and send the rain to quench the fires and the dry earth. All God's little creatures must be parched. I can almost hear the earth groaning.

Isn't your family on the East Coast. I hope they are safe and dry.

I sent you an air mail about three weeks ago, did you get it? It was in a bright yellow envelope; but I suppose it could have been either blown away, burned up or drowned! Praps it went through Dorothy's door on the way to OZ? :(

Keep your nose to the ground for the big eccumenical gathering in Italy at the Francis of Assis church that was severely damaged after their first get together (30 years I think) One World Government is rapidly building alongside the One World church.

No tracking code Nathan; it's not a package but two Postcards from Wales in an ordinary yellow envelope. ( I was thinking of the Yellow Rose of Texas) I sent it to the same address you gave me for the other 'doobree' I sent,My name and address code are on the back, so it should come back to me. I sent it by airmail, it is usually quicker that way?

Ask questions Nathan, DEMAND answers, like 'WHY does the US have such a poor postal service'! That would cause riots here - it dont take much to get our woad on. :)

”Bob has made his position abundantly clear and his mockery and embittered disdain of the Pre-Trib position is nigh legendary, while enforcing the word ‘love’ a great deal.”

Ah, the “let me attack and correct you in love” syndrome! I see that so often. Someone just recently attacked Hal Lindsey over the origin of the AC, yet denied attacking him. He felt it was relevant to introduce irrelevant info on Hal which was only partially true. He later removed it from the original commentary.

This makes me totally puke; its like having a loving hug from a Boa Constrictor. They make The Lord and His Apostles sound like a bunch of girls. They were fishermen, tax collectors; Jesus' was definitely not soppy, they were all more like True Grit, not ninnies with soft bellies and heads to match.

Poor old Hal! He is always getting pranged by mealy-mouthed busybodies; is he ok?